New Ways To Repair Cartilage

Repair and reuse, rather than replace. Its not just the mantra of the environmentally conscious, but also the preferred approach of orthopaedic surgeons dealing with defects in joint cartilage, especially if the defects are small and the joint otherwise healthy.In our March 2003 issue, we explained the primary techniques used to repair small tears or lesions in knee cartilage: microfracture, implantation of freshly grown cartilage cells, or use of cartilage plugs taken from elsewhere in the joint.